Pages

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

You're Never Too Old

This past weekend we went to the Gimli Icelandic Festival, and there was a fair with a lot of different rides, and carnival games. We had purchased wrist-bands for the kids and they were able to go on as many rides as they wanted.

Near the end of the day, my daughter came to me with quite a story. She and her cousins were getting ready to ride on the "Spin Out" and a particular fellow participant stood out. The Spin Out is a ride that you sit on and get strapped into, and it starts spinning around. It starts going sideways, then upside down. Music plays really loud and you are being spun around in every direction. This is a ride for experienced, brave souls.

When my daughter and her cousins approached the ride, there was an elderly man getting ready to get strapped in. The kids were quite surprised to see an older man getting on the ride. My daughter asked him how old he was, and the woman that was with him said he was 90-years-old! The man was asked by the carnival employee who was managing the ride if he thought he was medically fit to ride, and the woman reported that he had some heart problems, but not to let it stop him.

All eyes were focussed on this man, as the children and youth boarded the ride.

The ride started just as usual, and the man had no expression on his face according to my daughter. They ended the ride early, to check on him to see how he was doing. At that point he got off, and he appeared satisfied and in good spirits.

When the kids came back to report this to me, it was certainly a story they'd remember. It made me think about the fact that you're never too old to enjoy the things you used to enjoy as a child. Maybe it was on his "bucket list". Maybe this was something he had always wanted to to. Health risks aside, I am inspired by this story, and it gives me something positive to think about.